


a day in the park

by suddenlyatiger



Series: hell, I'm just a kid myself [6]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Children, F/M, Gen, M/M, Mentioned Stiles Stilinski, POV Jackson Whittemore, Werewolf Jackson Whittemore, mentioned Derek Hale - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-14
Updated: 2020-12-14
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:55:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,671
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28077315
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/suddenlyatiger/pseuds/suddenlyatiger
Summary: It's been literal years since they've been in the same place together, as far as he knows.
Relationships: (background), Allison Argent/Isaac Lahey, Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski
Series: hell, I'm just a kid myself [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1799071
Comments: 43
Kudos: 301





	a day in the park

**Author's Note:**

> I couldn't remember if Lydia's older sister was actual canon or fanon
> 
> oh well

Jackson has no idea where Allison and Isaac have disappeared to.

Given the waves of lust emanating from them all morning, Jackson's not entirely sure he wants to know where they've gotten to. He only hopes that whatever it is they're up to won't end with a lecture from the sheriff about public indecency.

Again.

Jackson does a quick visual sweep of the playground equipment from where he's sitting on a nearby bench. He instantly spots Noah, still happily scrambling up and down the climbing frame and monkey bars.

Sometimes Jackson pokes fun at Stiles' near-constant worry about Noah getting himself hurt; but at times like this he starts to see where he's coming from. The kid is clearly fearless.

And he's clearly also inherited Stiles' sense of balance. Jackson watches as Noah slips climbing up the rungs of a short ladder and tumbles to the ground. He's quickly back on his feet, wiping his hands on his pants. He turns and finds Jackson sitting on the bench. Jackson waves and Noah waves back before starting back up the ladder.

Jackson surreptitiously sniffs the air and catches the scent of Noah's blood on the breeze. Not a huge amount, so the kid's maybe skinned a knee under his pants. Noah doesn't seem too bothered by it so Jackson doesn't react. Though he does shoot off a text to Stiles and Derek, just in case.

He also sends off a text to Isaac, in case he can smell the blood from wherever he's gone off to. Though he probably won't be able to if he's got his face in Allison's--

"Jackson?"

Jackson tenses all over but manages to resist the urge to whirl around. It almost hurts to slowly turn his head to look behind him, but he does it.

He'd immediately recognized Lydia's voice, of course, but not her scent, so he hadn't clocked her coming up behind him. He hasn't seen her since their high school graduation, and he's pretty sure she'd left town almost immediately after that. It's been literal years since they've been in the same place together, as far as he knows.

She still looks like herself, still like the Lydia that Jackson remembers from high school, only older. Still as fashionable and put-together as always, still beautiful. Still with a gleam in her eyes that used to get Jackson going, but now only makes him wary.

"Lydia," he says, evenly, even as his mind is a mess of 'what the hell is _she_ doing here!?'. "I didn't know you were back in town."

"I'm visiting Mom with Leah," Lydia says. That's when Jackson registers the woman standing beside Lydia. Lydia's sister is 10 years older than Lydia, and Jackson never really knew her all that well. She'd already moved out of Beacon Hills by the time Lydia and Jackson started dating in high school. Jackson offers her a short wave, which Leah returns.

There's a small girl hanging on to one of Leah's hands. A small red-haired girl with big blue eyes who must be Leah's daughter.

Noah's cousin. Which is a thought that Jackson doesn't explore any further. Not his business.

Leah eventually shoos the little girl off in the direction of the playground and the kid takes off running. Jackson is kind of sprawled on the bench he's sitting on (easier to control who gets to sit next to him, even if it kind of makes him look like a douche, according to Stiles), so there isn't any space for either Lydia or Leah to sit down beside him. He's not inclined to move.

Leah heads over to a nearby empty bench, shooting Lydia a significant glance as she goes. Jackson tenses even further when Lydia doesn't move to follow her sister.

He's truly over Lydia now, he's had years to put her and everything she did to him (and to the others) behind him. That doesn't make unexpectedly seeing her again any less awkward. Or uncomfortable.

"So... What are you doing here?" Lydia asks, looking around. "At a playground?"

"Babysitting," Jackson says, gesturing vaguely at the climbing structure and hoping that Lydia doesn't notice Noah. Of course, Noah's red hair – much like Lydia's – tends to stand out in a crowd, so even a cursory glance would be enough for her to find him among the other children. Of course, Lydia would have no reason to assume that Jackson would be here with Noah at all. It's been years, Jackson could've had a child of his own in that time. Or he could be there with a completely random kid.

Hopefully, if Jackson doesn't say anything, maybe Lydia won't either.

"Uncle Jackson!"

Of course...

"Yeah?" Jackson calls back to Noah, finally turning away from Lydia. Noah is waving at him from the very top of the tallest climbing structure. He immediately sits up straight on the bench. "How did you get up there? _Why_ are you up there?"

"Take a picture!" Noah says. Jackson dutifully pulls out his phone and snaps a quick picture.

"There," he says. "Now get down from there! _Slowly_!" Jackson watches carefully as Noah starts climbing down the structure. He only relaxes when Noah's light-up sneakers hit the ground, but then he tenses up again when Noah starts running towards him.

Shit.

Jackson throws a panicked look over his shoulder. Of course Lydia is still standing there, watching this whole scene play out, face carefully blank.

Noah reaches the bench before Jackson has a chance to decide just what to do here. The whole business of what to tell Noah about his biological mother is completely Stiles and Derek's responsibility. Jackson doesn't factor into any of that and he so wishes that this wasn't happening right now.

There's a massive swirl of emotion coming from Lydia's direction and Jackson is having a hard time trying to parse them all out. He's fairly sure that she isn't going to just blurt out the truth, he's not sure what that would get her.

Noah clambers onto the bench and gets right up in Jackson's personal space.

"I wanna see," he says. Jackson shows him the picture he just took, overly aware of Lydia's presence because _she's still standing behind him_! Noah studies the picture for a minute before finally nodding.

"That's good," he says. "Send it to Daddy and Dad." A pause. "Please?"

"Yeah, yeah," Jackson says. "Go back and play. We have to go find Allison and Isaac soon and then go back home." Where he'd have to tell Stiles and Derek that Lydia is back in town. He's not looking forward to that conversation.

"Aw," Noah says, wrinkling his turned-up nose. But he turns to go back to the climbing structure. As he does, he suddenly looks up behind Jackson and Jackson sucks in a breath. But Noah's gaze seems to just slide uninterestedly over Lydia and he runs off without another word.

Jackson lets out his breath.

That's when Isaac and Allison suddenly appear from seemingly nowhere (looking slightly disheveled but satisfied with themselves; Jackson would roll his eyes at them if it weren't for the current situation).

"Lydia?" Allison asks. Jackson gets up off the bench and turns around. Allison is squinting her eyes at Lydia and Isaac's nervous gaze is darting between both women and the playground.

"Allison," Lydia says. "Isaac."

"What are you doing here?" Allison asks.

"I'm here with my sister and niece," Lydia says, gesturing behind her. "We're in town visiting family." Allison nods absently and shoots a look at Jackson. Jackson just shrugs and turns to look at the playground. He spots Noah trying to cross a set of horizontal monkey bars. There's a small crowd watching his progress, including Lydia's red-haired niece.

"He's gonna fall," Isaac comments absently, following Jackson's gaze. And, sure enough, a few seconds later Noah misses the next rung and falls to the ground. He lands on his feet before pitching forward to his hands and knees. A small cheer goes up from the gathered children, followed by a few shrill voices shouting "Me next!"

"Time to pack it in, I'd say," Allison says, talking to Jackson and Isaac but still looking at Lydia.

"I'll go grab the kid," Jackson says, volunteering himself away from the tension in the air.

"I'll help," Isaac says. They escape to the playground, leaving Allison with Lydia.

"Think Stiles has a contingency plan for something like this?" Isaac asks Jackson.

"I'd be surprised if he didn't," Jackson says. Knowing Stiles, he has a contingency plan for any scenario involving Lydia and Noah, and then contingency plans for his contingency plans. "Noah saw her earlier and didn't react at all. Most likely nothing will come of this."

"Hopefully," Isaac says.

"Noah!" Jackson calls out. Noah looks over from where he's waiting his turn to get on the horizontal monkey bars again. "Time to go!"

"But I wanna go again!" Noah whines.

"You can go again next time," Jackson says.

"But!" Noah protests.

"Don't make me have to tell your fathers that you weren't listening," Jackson says. Noah deflates, but still makes a face at Jackson as he leaves the lineup and starts walking off the playground. He starts heading in Lydia and Allison's direction, but Isaac swoops in and scoops Noah into his arms. Noah shrieks with laughter as Isaac throws him over one shoulder and starts off in the direction of the parking lot.

"Go fast!" Noah cries, giggling. Isaac starts jogging away. Jackson turns to Allison and raises an eyebrow at her. Allison walks off in Isaac's direction without another word to Lydia. Jackson looks at Lydia, making eye contact over the distance.

Lydia's face is still expressionless, but Jackson can still feel the tangle of emotions pouring off of her.

It's a lot.

It's also none of his concern.

He turns and starts off after his packmates, shooting off the picture of Noah on the climbing structure.

***

**From: Stiles Stilinski**

_Why the fuck is he all the way up there!?!!?_

***

***


End file.
